Bee Keeping - April and May

Winter quarters for beehives are not always adjacent to the flowering crops. It is time to move a thousand hives nearer to the first major nectar sources of the year, such as winter-sown oilseed rape.

Next, if the days are warm enough, beekeepers open each hive in turn and locate the queen by searching each frame individually. Once she is marked with a dot of quick-drying paint she can be more easily found on later visits to the hive.

Knowing the status and age of the queen is crucial to controlling honey bees' natural swarming urge. Swarm control is the largest part of a beekeeper's work. After all, if most of the bees leave the hive there will be little reward for his work!